Lately, the news has really weighed me down. It is heartbreaking to see the raging fires in California night after night and take in scenes of ravaged land, smoldering ruins and broken lives.
My 4-year-old granddaughter Charlotte is allowed to play with her family Christmas creche.
Deploring the commercialization, secularization and general thinning-out of the spiritual meaning of Christmas is part of the stock in trade of commentators on things religious of whom your humble servant is one. Nor should we fail to mention those annual church-state battles in the season of good will over whether Nativity scenes should or shouldn’t be allowed on public property.
Russell died earlier this year. He was sixty-three, but looked ten years older. That’s what living in the woods will do to you. He was a big man physically and as I was to find out, he was a big man if you measured the kindness he showed to so many.
Something that happened at a bishops’ meeting nearly half a century ago raises questions about the Vatican’s action last month telling the U.S. bishops to cancel a scheduled vote on two proposals for self-policing on sex abuse.
During no other season of the year do creative forces from all walks of life come together to make life beautiful.
"Life moves pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it."
Just last year, Catholics were required to attend separate Masses two days in a row for the Sunday obligation and Monday's Christmas Mass. Now, they have a similar opportunity this year with the feast of the Immaculate Conception falling on a Saturday — Dec. 8.
What father — having listened to President George W. Bush’s (“W”) majestic 12-minute eulogy for his father and the 41st president, George H.W. Bush — could not permit himself to hope in his heart of hearts that his child might display such respect and affection for him (“the best dad a son or daughter could ask for”) upon his own death?
The gift of joy
Joy is one of God’s greatest gifts. We all deeply desire more joy in our lives — true joy, lasting joy, abundant joy.